I’ve been sick – real sick just for a couple of days…an acute exotic respiratory thing that the northern Rivers and specifically the period around Bluesfest (!) seems to specialise in. Anyway, apart from it being terrible timing (I ask my patients ‘when is it EVER good timing?’) it has been a quick gruesome but instructive reminder about what’s called ‘sickness related behaviour’. This is a cluster of behaviours that come as part of the package with being unwell. They’re usually short-lived as a result of acute infections like colds, flus, gastro. Trust me – you know them well 😉 they include: loss of appetite, social withdrawal, fatigue, amotivation, anhedonia or depression etc.
These behaviours are thought to be critical to our individual preservation and that of our community and at a physiological level are attributed primarily to the rise in pro-inflammatory cytokines (PICs) that are part of being ‘sick’. It makes sense right? If we’re sick we need to lie in bed, be still, rest up, stop working and most importantly, if it is contagious, stay away from everyone to prevent the spread! So really this sickness related behaviour is a very clever adaptation.
The great reminder for me was how this really feels.…in a word awful. No ability to self-care, can’t be bothered even doing things that when we’re well we imagine to be luxurious possibilities of spending the day in bed(!), reading nope, food…no thanks… and you know what (most uncharacteristic of all for me!) I couldn’t even be bothered telling anyone about it because why would I want to talk to loved ones or friends? Cue slumping back into the unmade bed again!
The timing is funny because I had been just explaining sickness related behaviour to a client the day before. His mood issues had been improving significantly since we started treatment but he reported that last week his mood took a bit of dive again. Having had mood issues for a long time, he naturally took this on as being about him, one of his frequent lulls and testament to his ongoing mental health challenges, however, it turns out his dip in mood coincided exactly with getting sick with an acute viral infection. Once I explained ‘it’s not you it’s sickness related behaviour’ it was like a weight had been lifted! It’s good to know your body and brain are actually doing what they’re supposed to be doing and this isn’t something bigger, more worrisome or likely to last longer. This is really important information for our patients to know and especially those with mental health problems.
It is also essential to consider the impact of this physiology on our chronically sick patients as well – there is of course a lot of research linking ‘prolonged sickness behaviour’ to diagnosable depression for example. For loads of information on this check out research papers by Maes for example https://bmcmedicine.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/1741-7015-10-66
So anyway, this time it’s been my turn and as all practitioners know, it’s good to be reminded of how it feels to sit on the other side of the desk every now and then. Just not too often please!! 🙂
Got a case you want Rachel’s input into but need to find the most cost effective way? Have you heard about the NEW! New Practitioners Drop in Class? This is now the only drop-in monthly mentoring class, tailored for new or returning practitioners but applicable and open to all practitioners! It runs on the last Tuesday of the month at 1:30pm NSW time and now comes with a free recording of every session. You can simply book in by paying here and then our admin team will get in contact with you to confirm. Maybe you even have a case you’d like to present?